"Hi, Jiang, I'm a little... um, nervous..." Standing in the parking lot outside New York Guaraldi Airport, Delia couldn't help but nervously tug on Jiang Hai's sleeve. She swallowed nervously and spoke with some hesitation.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen," Jiang Hai replied with a reassuring smile. There really wasn't anything to panic about.
Today, when domestic tourists were coming to Winthrop for a visit, this situation initially had nothing to do with Jiang Hai. However, Mayor Wallis still felt that Jiang Hai, being young, rich, and worldly, might be the right person to guide the first group of visitors. Though Mayor Wallis maintained a skeptical view of China, thinking it was far away and unfamiliar, he acknowledged that Jiang Hai could probably handle things well—though, he also worried a bit about Jiang Hai potentially spending money on this.
Still, with tourists arriving, Mayor Wallis felt obliged to make the arrangements. This was the first group to visit their town, after all. To prepare, he had recruited several tour guides, with the most youthful and attractive being Delia George, the daughter of Old George, who ran a horse farm.
Jiang Hai hadn't seen Delia in a while. She was the daughter of the man who had sold Jiang Hai horses when he bought them. This time, Old George's horse farm had become one of the town's tourist attractions. Delia, however, wasn't much of a student. After high school, she didn't score well on the college entrance exams, and in the United States, where community colleges are common, it was easy to attend college regardless of age. But Delia wasn't interested in college—she had already been helping her father at the farm. Now, with the town offering more opportunities, she had decided to join in.
As the most attractive female guide in the group, Delia was assigned to assist the first batch of tourists. Mayor Wallis, sensing she might be nervous, had asked Jiang Hai to join her for support.
"But..." Delia hesitated, still worried.
"Tourists are just people; they don't have three heads and six arms. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong," Jiang Hai reassured her with a laugh. People always fear the unknown. While Jiang Hai and his team wouldn't harm them, he also made it clear that they wouldn't tolerate any trouble. In the U.S., it's easy to get lost, and if someone caused a commotion, they'd regret it.
Just as Jiang Hai was trying to calm Delia, his phone rang. It was the tour group leader. After picking up, a baritone voice on the other end confirmed their location and soon, the group of Chinese tourists emerged from the airport, snapping photos as they walked in three separate groups.
The first group was dressed in formal clothing, a mix of men and women of various ages, all looking dignified. They chatted and laughed as they walked, likely the senior executives of the state-owned enterprise mentioned over the phone. Behind them were two more groups: two families, one with parents and a child, and another with a young couple and their parents. It seemed these families had gotten along well during the flight.
The last group consisted of two young honeymooners, dressed in matching outfits and diamond rings, taking selfies along the way. In front of them were three more individuals: two men and one woman. The man leading the group had spoken to Jiang Hai earlier, and the other two were ensuring the group stayed together.
When Jiang Hai waved, the group of fifty quickly approached. The middle-aged leader, Wu Shan, shook Jiang Hai's hand first.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Jiang. I'm Wu Shan, the tour guide for this trip."
"Hello, I'm Jiang Hai, a resident of Winthrop. This is Delia George, the lead tour guide and the person in charge of your visit here. If you have any questions during your stay, you can always ask her." Jiang Hai introduced Delia after shaking hands with Wu Shan.
The two briefly discussed the itinerary for the trip. This was a short-term group, staying in the U.S. for only seven days. However, this included one day of travel to and from the U.S., leaving only five days for sightseeing in Winthrop. The group was not there to shop, but rather to enjoy the sights. After a quick discussion to confirm everything, the tour guides began to board the bus that Jiang Hai had arranged for them.
The bus was a four-star Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle, specially purchased by the Winthrop Town Government for tourist transport. The group was impressed by the bus, especially since it cost nearly 3 million RMB in China (excluding taxes, insurance, etc.). While not as expensive in the U.S., the Mercedes-Benz bus still cost around $300,000—1.8 million RMB—and could be purchased with an interest-free loan over five years.
Once everyone was on board, Jiang Hai took his own vehicle, intending to follow the group back. He didn't want to squeeze in with everyone else, so Wu Shan joined him in his car to discuss the itinerary and the upcoming activities.
As the bus began moving, Delia George took a deep breath and addressed the group.
"Hello, everyone, my name is Delia George, and I'll be your tour guide for this trip. You can call me Miss George, and if you need anything, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to accommodate everyone." She glanced at the driver, specially hired by Winthrop, and gathered her courage to speak.
Luckily, many of the younger people could speak some English, and the tour guides accompanying them translated when needed. But soon, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly, sitting in the front seat, pointed out the window at Jiang Hai's vehicle.
"Hey, isn't that young man standing outside yours? Why did he drive off in that car? What kind of car is it? It looks nice," the man asked excitedly.
Since he spoke in Chinese, Delia didn't understand at first. However, the two other tour guides quickly translated.
"Oh, that's Jiang Hai, Mr. Jiang. He's not our receptionist. In fact, he's very important to our town. He's the one who organized this trip for you, so he came to check in and help me build my confidence. As for the car he drove, it's called the Kaibaihe War Shield. It's a special vehicle in the U.S. and can even withstand rocket launcher attacks, though we don't have that here. Wealthy people like it for its status symbol."
After hearing the explanation, some of the tourists who were interested in cars started searching for more information.
"Wow, this car is beautiful. It's gold. If it's really that good, I'll get one when I get back!" The middle-aged man's eyes lit up as he spoke.
"You can't buy it, Lao Liu. If you did, you'd be in trouble," another man sitting next to him chuckled.
"Why? Is this car expensive? It doesn't look like a brand we know," Lao Liu asked, confused.
"That car may not be famous in our country, but I know it costs about 20 million RMB," his colleague explained with a smile. Lao Liu might not be unable to afford it, but spending 20 million on a car was another matter entirely.
"20 million? Forget it..." Lao Liu muttered, shaking his head.
"Wow, this car is so expensive," the others in the bus murmured as they looked at Jiang Hai's vehicle in awe. They hadn't given it much thought at first, but hearing the price truly shocked them.